Chapter 29

Chapter 29: A Conversation at the Prime Minister’s Residence Ling Taian rose, straightened his clothes, and led Ling Jiayue and Ling Jiaxuan toward the reception hall. Inside, General Luo and Luo Zhen were drinking tea and waiting for Ling Taian and the others to arrive. Although General Luo had only recently recovered from his serious illness, years of campaigning had left him with a strong constitution. After recuperating at home for several days, he still looked hale and hearty. “Brother Luo, I hope you won’t blame me for not being a proper host and making you wait so long,” Ling Taian said as he entered the reception hall. “Brother Ling, don’t say that. If it weren’t for your daughter’s miraculous medical arts, how could I still be sitting here, asking you for a cup of tea?” General Luo and Ling Taian exchanged the usual pleasantries. “Brother Ling, speaking of which, I truly must thank your daughter. I’m ashamed that I failed to manage my household properly and was poisoned by my concubine to such an extent. Now that I’ve recovered, I didn’t dare delay any longer and came here personally to express my gratitude.” General Luo looked at Ling Jiayue as he spoke. Ling Taian, however, said, “Brother Luo, I heard from my son that there was more to your stroke and poisoning than met the eye. If that is the case, then my daughter was at fault as well. Fortunately, she has now made amends by rendering a great service.” “Brother Ling, that is precisely why I came here today.” “Oh?” “Could I ask Brother Ling to dismiss everyone else?” “Jiaxuan, take the servants away. There’s no need for anyone to attend us in the reception hall,” Ling Taian instructed. “Yes, Father.” Before long, only General Luo and his son, along with Ling Taian, Ling Jiayue, and Ling Jiaxuan, remained in the hall. “There’s no one else here now. Brother Luo, please speak frankly,” Ling Taian said. “Brother Ling, don’t laugh at me. It is true that my stroke and poisoning were both caused by my concubine, but your daughter resolved them one after another. Don’t you think that is too much of a coincidence?” General Luo asked. “To tell you the truth, Brother Luo, I also think there are too many coincidences involved. It seems someone was targeting my daughter.” “Brother Ling, you’re mistaken. They were targeting both our families,” General Luo said solemnly. “Both our families? What do you mean, Brother Luo?” Ling Taian asked in confusion. “The Wang-shi who poisoned me was a concubine in my household. For her to dare harm me, she was clearly a spy planted in my residence by someone with ulterior motives. She knew that only Miss Ling’s acupuncture could cure a stroke, so she tampered with my food and deliberately caused me to suffer one.” General Luo paused before continuing, “But Wang-shi also poisoned me. Even if I recovered from the stroke, I would still have died from the poison. Miss Ling, who had treated me, would certainly have incurred the wrath of the General’s Residence. That would have turned the Luo and Ling families against each other. What a clever scheme.” After hearing General Luo’s analysis, Ling Taian felt a jolt of alarm. Fortunately, Yue’er had cured General Luo, or the two families might truly have been manipulated into becoming enemies. “General Luo, have you found out who was behind this?” Ling Taian asked. “When my son and your daughter searched Wang-shi’s room for the antidote, they found a piece of jade. Do you know anything about it, Brother Ling?” General Luo asked instead of answering. “Yue’er told me about it,” Ling Taian replied. “There was a ‘Three’ carved into the jade pendant.” “What are you implying, Brother Luo?” Ling Taian asked cautiously. “I suspect the Third Prince. But Wang-shi has already been silenced, so I have no witness and no proof.” General Luo sighed. “Father, Wang-shi was shot dead right in front of me. The person who could plant Wang-shi in the General’s Residence and then make a move there—apart from the Third Prince, I’m afraid there’s no one else,” Luo Zhen said. General Luo merely let out a deep sigh upon hearing this. “It seems the Third Prince intended to kill two birds with one stone, scheming against both the Ling and Luo residences at once. If Yue’er had been unable to cure General Luo, the relationship between our two families would never have returned to what it was,” Ling Taian said. “Brother Ling, I did not come merely to offer my thanks. Both the mighty General’s Residence and the Prime Minister’s Residence have become playthings in the Third Prince’s hands. If we allow the Third Prince to continue acting this way, won’t the imperial court fall into chaos?” General Luo urged. “What are you suggesting, General Luo?” Ling Taian asked cautiously. General Luo said nothing more. Ling Taian had spent decades navigating officialdom. In the blink of an eye, he understood exactly what General Luo meant. Indeed, they had only escaped this calamity because Yue’er’s medical arts were superb. If something like this happened again, it might not be only Yue’er who suffered—the entire Ling Residence could be reduced to ashes in an instant. Ling Taian fell silent. General Luo did not urge him, merely holding his teacup and drinking quietly. The only sound in the room was the faint clink of General Luo drinking his tea. “Father…” Ling Jiayue seemed to have something to say to Ling Taian, but Ling Jiaxuan tugged at her sleeve, signaling that she should not disturb their father. Ling Jiayue consequently kept silent. After a long while, Ling Taian seemed finally to have made up his mind. He clasped his hands toward General Luo and said, “Brother Luo, from now on, our two families shall rely on each other.” “Brother Ling, you’re too kind.” General Luo and Ling Taian had reached an understanding. “Brother Luo, why don’t you stay for a simple meal?” Ling Taian warmly invited him. “Then I won’t stand on ceremony.” “Yue’er, go inform your mother that General Luo will be dining at the residence today. Ask her to make the necessary preparations,” Ling Taian instructed. “Yes, Father.” After receiving Ling Taian’s orders, Ling Jiayue went to Madam Liu. Madam Liu then instructed the steward matron to prepare the meal. Ling Taian and Ling Jiaxuan accompanied General Luo and Luo Zhen as they chatted idly in the garden. In the blink of an eye, it was time for the meal. Madam Liu sat beside Ling Taian in the seats of honor, while General Luo and his son took the next seats. Ling Jiayue, Madam Wan, and the others sat down in turn, filling the entire table. Madam Liu signaled that the food could be served, and the steward matron led the maids in bringing the dishes to the table one after another. After several dishes had been sampled and several rounds of wine had been drunk, Ling Taian and General Luo were chatting merrily over the meal. Just then, a young male servant came to report something. Upon hearing the report, the steward matron’s brows drew tightly together. She turned and relayed the news to Madam Liu. Madam Liu slammed her chopsticks down on the table. General Luo noticed Madam Liu’s unusual reaction and asked with concern, “Madam, what has happened?” Madam Liu forced a smile. “It’s nothing, merely a minor household matter. I lost my composure for a moment. Please don’t take offense, General Luo.” Ling Taian had naturally noticed her strange behavior as well. However, from Madam Liu’s words, he understood that this was not something she could conveniently tell General Luo about, so he smoothed things over by saying, “My wife merely lost her composure for a moment. Come, Brother Luo, let’s have another drink.” General Luo had risen to his current position and was naturally no fool. Seeing the reactions of Ling Taian and his wife, he simply laughed it off and continued drinking and eating. The meal ended with both host and guests thoroughly pleased. At the end, Ling Taian personally escorted General Luo to the gate. General Luo and Luo Zhen then returned to the General’s Residence. Ling Taian brought Madam Liu back to their room and asked, “Madam, what exactly happened?” “Master, the guards stationed at the nunnery to watch Ling Ziqi have reported that Ling Ziqi has escaped.”